We thought that some of our readers may be interested in collecting cricket balls, so we have included an article to give you a bit more of an insight into what the cricket ball is all about.

Cricket balls come in different sizes and materials. For practise or indoor games you use a plastic ball, and for official games you use a cork ball. It actually comprises of a core of cork, which is wrapped tightly with string, and covered by a leather case with a slightly raised sewn seam. Red balls are used in official day games, but you will probably use a white ball in day / night matches. This is because red balls are much harder to pick up under lights.

In men’s cricket the ball must weigh between 5.5 and 5.75 ounces (155.9 and 163 grams) and measure between 8 13/16 and 9 inches (22.4 and 22.9 cm) in circumference. Youth & women’s cricket use slightly smaller & lighter balls.

For what you get, cricket balls are expensive. You have to spend about 6 on a ball (based on 2009 prices) if you want buy a decent one. Even then you won’t get the best quality; you can easily spend 12 or more if you want this. This is because they are not particularly easy to make and the materials aren’t cheap either.

When the cricket ball is new you will find it bounces higher, and will probably swing more than when it is old. This is why most sides will have their most explosive batsmen batting at positions 4 and 5. They want them to have the best chance of getting runs, and by batting later when the ball is worn it will be swinging less. That’s the theory anyway. If the fielding team polishes one side of the ball constantly, and lets the other side get rough, this can bring into effect ‘reverse swing’. This means the ball will swing the opposite way to normal, and in the hands of a top class bowler can be devastating.

Author: Tom Wilkinson

Buy & compare prices on cricket balls at ShoppingDay.co.uk.

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